Big software engineering projects don’t just benefit from cultures of collaboration; they require it. At Vivid Seats, a vibrant ticket marketplace, teams recently evolved the entire design system, re-platforming the tech stack towards Next.js and a node-based backend.
The project is creating an infrastructure that will allow the company to innovate and deliver incredible customer experiences. But none of it would be possible without collaboration across teams. Senior Manager of Software Engineering William Dibbern shared his take on the cooperation needed for a big project like this with Built In Chicago.
“Our teams support each other’s work implicitly, with proactive and constructive feedback to each other and our stakeholders,” he said.
Dibbern has been working to connect the various squads on the company’s web team, nurturing that sense of collaboration and shared support, and in addition to the satisfaction of a completed project, the work has had a personal impact, too.
“It’s important that the work I take on is both exciting and challenging as I grow professionally as a leader and mentor in my career,” Dibbern shared.
Vivid Seats is hiring now; if collaborating on challenging projects is what you’re looking for, read on to learn more about their company culture and check out their open roles.
Vivid Seats operates as a ticket marketplace. Through its proprietary software and unique technology, the company drives the consumer and business ecosystem for live event ticketing and enables the power of shared experiences to unite people.
Describe your company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
If I had to decide on just one word to describe our culture, it would be collaborative. In my time at Vivid Seats, I’ve seen how our culture embodies collaboration; through the empathy and respect each team member shows each other, how we all strive to build an inclusive and diverse team and how motivated everyone is to find the best way to accomplish our shared goals.
Recently, my team started tackling a challenging initiative to further optimize and enhance our user experience. To achieve this, we discussed and implemented new ways of working that allowed us to collaborate, learn, iterate and ultimately deliver value faster.
Our teams support each other’s work implicitly, with proactive and constructive feedback to each other as well as to our stakeholders. We meet frequently to brainstorm the best solutions for each situation, taking each idea that is presented as something of genuine value to discuss. Senior engineers help guide and coach, not dictate, the work so that the team can grow through the experience.
Our teams support each other’s work implicitly, with proactive and constructive feedback to each other and our stakeholders.”
What's the coolest project you've worked on recently, and how did it help you grow professionally?
I have enjoyed guiding our team on a lot of fun projects since joining Vivid Seats, and I believe there’s something on our roadmap that would excite anyone. The team I have the pleasure of leading owns the front-end components of Vivid Seats.
An exciting project we’ve been working on is evolving our design system. We’ve recently re-platformed our stack towards Next.js and a node-based backend. This project comes not only with interesting technical challenges, but also an even more compelling user experience. With the infrastructure we’re putting in place, it becomes easier for us to experiment, innovate, and create exceptional experiences for our customers.
With this project, I am helping the multiple squads that make up our web team collaborate amongst themselves and with our stakeholders. It has been a truly rewarding endeavor for me.
It’s important that the work I take on is both exciting and challenging as I grow professionally as a leader and mentor in my career. Foundational projects like this have a lasting impact on our ability as a team to scale and drive value. I love how they push me strategically as a leader and further drive our culture of collaboration.
